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Diocese of Fall River

HCFM website enables visitors to send free eCards and prayers to moms everywhere during May

EASTON, Mass. — Mom wants only one thing this Mother’s Day: your loving presence. And the best way to share that with her — either in the same room or a thousand miles away — is through prayer.

This year, Family Rosary is helping people get closer to mom with special prayers and electronic Mother’s Day cards, free at www.PrayersForFamilies.org. Throughout May — the month of Mary — visitors to the website will find dozens of options to honor all of their “moms”: birth mother, adoptive mother, step-mother, grandmother, aunt or even the woman with whom they have that special connection.

“This Mother’s Day, give your mom the greatest gift of all: pray for her and with her,” said Father Willy Raymond, C.S.C., president. “Often it’s our mothers who do all the praying for us. Now, it’s our turn. We’re certain there isn’t a mother who wouldn’t be pleased to know her children and grandchildren are praying for her.”

The Family Rosary website will offer many different ways to pray for mom. The site features a selection of prayers — all honoring mothers, of course. There are also suggestions for making these prayers more meaningful:

— Saying “Grace” when having dinner together

— Praying over the phone if mom is far away

— Asking our Blessed Mother Mary’s intercession for your mother, grandmother or other special woman who has made a difference in your life

Many prayers honoring mothers are available at www.PrayersForFamilies.org, including these two:

“Dear Mother, if I could give you one thing in life, I would give you the ability to see yourself through my eyes. Only then would you realize how much I love you. May God bless you always, especially on this special day.”

“May the blessing of our loving God shine upon all mothers. May God grant them much peace, joy and love — not only on this special day for mothers but also every day. Amen.”

In addition, visitors can select from a variety of eCards to send to mom on Mother’s Day or any time during the month. These electronic cards for emailing include special greetings and feature a prayer to honor mom.

“There is no greater gift than prayer,” Father Raymond said. “For the mother who has everything, a prayer from her children is the best thing we can give her. Nothing strengthens the bonds of her family like praying together.”

This special program was inspired by Servant of God Patrick Peyton and his devotion to the Blessed Mother. He once said, “If families give Our Lady 15 minutes a day by reciting the Rosary, I assure them that their homes will become, by God’s grace, peaceful places.”

While a seminarian, Father Peyton, a priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross, was stricken with severe tuberculosis. He prayed his Rosary to the Blessed Mother and he made a miraculous recovery, which he attributed entirely to Mary’s intercession. This experience — coupled with his Spiritually rich family life as a youth in Ireland — inspired Father Peyton to devote his life to Mary, Mother of God, and to the Spiritual well-being of the family. His famous words, “The Family That Prays Together Stays Together,” still resonate today.

A candidate for sainthood, Father Peyton was one of the most influential American Catholic priests of the 20th century. Known as the “Rosary Priest,” he encouraged millions of people to pray the Rosary daily. Father Peyton founded Family Rosary in 1942. He used film, television and other modern media to inspire and encourage millions of people to turn to prayer for family unity and world peace.

In the spirit of its founder, Servant of God Patrick Peyton, Family Rosary encourages family prayer, especially the Rosary. For more information, call 800-299-7729 or visit www.FamilyRosary.org.

To share the gift of prayer with your mom on Mother’s Day or any time during May, just go to www.PrayersForFamilies.org. And Happy Mother’s Day to all moms everywhere!